title: Dangerous snakes, deadly snakes and medically important snakes.
abstract: This correspondence argues that the dangerousness of a venomous snake species is not solely determined by the venom characteristics or the lethality of the snake, and recognizes that medical importance comprises a key variable as well. The medical importance of a snake is determined by several factors - including frequency of medical attention after a bite, local or systemic envenomation provoked by the bite, fatal bites, long term consequences, availability of antivenom therapy as well as the size of the population at risk - that may vary from one region to another.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura 50008, Sri Lanka. nkanjanasilva@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anjana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Silva